Lonely War's Shadow
by MymilRisus
Summary: A team of intrepid snow pirates becomes entangled in the hidden war of E.D.N. III after finding a prototype battle VS, fighting off snow pirates, NEVEC bounty hunters, and Akrid. Please review. Rewrites complete, new content to ensue.
1. Finder's Keepers

**CHAPTER 1  
Finder's Keeper's**

Snow fell slowly on the ice plains, adding an extra layer of thickness to the sparkling endless white blanket, muffling the crunch of ice under tread, merely white noise to match the view. The sky was dark as almost always, covered with heavy gray clouds, only the thinnest rays of sunlight making their way to the ground below. The mountains rolled on in the distance, jagged black rocks sticking up out of an endless flat white horizon. Static spiking from the communicator in my hat, broken by the faintest sounds of someone talking made me shake my head in slight surprise, having been lost in thought for some time. These lonely missions into the barren plains offered a lot of time to reflect. I slowed my snow cycle to halt, placing a hand against the receiver in my ear. "Matt here, almost to the post. How are things on your end, Sam? Anyone come knocking yet?"

More static.

I inhaled slowly through my nose, pulling the goggles away from my eyes, the sunshine still blinding without the tinted blue plastic. I grabbed my machine gun out of the holster under the seat and threw the strap over my shoulder, sliding off my snow cycle and starting to wade cautiously through knee deep snow to the edge of the ruins nearby, skeletons of a village once skimming by on the barest of necessities. My feet caught a piece of rubble hidden in the fresh powder, stumbling for a moment before steadying my steps, leading me up to a small orange light reflecting against the pale concrete, an out of place beacon in the middle of a destroyed settlement. My gloved palm rested on the firearm at my hip, keeping it awkwardly ready just in case. I never liked having such an imprecise gun with me… I had a nice rifle until a few days before; kinda old, but it worked like a charm, right up to where the barrel cracked in half when I fired it cold. That'll teach me, I guess.

I heard a few words cut through the static. "…sti- no sig-…copy?" I pursed my lips and brought up the data pad on my wrist, tapping a few keys to set up the link back to the trailer and the data post activated, glowing bright orange as the antenna extended and the casing closed up, humming and radiating heat from its casing as it transmitted back to the trailer. I smiled again, leaning back against it, bathing against the warmth of the beacon and placing a hand against the headset. "Copy me now, Sam?"

Sam's voice came cutting clear through the static, "Loud and clear. About time too, thought I lost you there for a minute, when you went all quiet."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled quietly, shouldering my gun, which had been slowly slipping down again. "While it's not like you could hear me in the first place, can't a guy have a moment to think?"

"You, thinking? That's just a recipe for disaster."

I rolled my eyes, jumping off the second floor into three feet of snow, wedged in to the point my lower body stuck for a moment. I twisted and pulled, grunting as the icy grip gave, letting me trudge back out to the snow cycle. "Oof… Well…" I panted out, tugging at the thick bit of cloth around my neck, trying to cool off from the effort, "I'm coming back. ETA… 'bout 25 minutes."

"Keep an eye out for Akrid."

"Copy that, I'll let you know."

I revved the engine, feeling the treads slip a little, then grab snow, pulling me forward a few feet. I slid the goggles back down over my eyes and hiked up my mask an inch more over my nose. I pulled on the accelerator, and snow flew into the air behind me, the powder blowing away into the wind.

Always cold, this damn place was. Even when it was sunny, it was as cold as death. The wind bit the little skin that was out in the open, cutting straight to the bone and burning anything in between. I kept my eyes moving, watching for the movements of Akrid, the large insect-like natives of our snowbound home, E.D.N. III, or other Snow Pirates like ourselves, humans that left the safety of the domed cities to try our luck out in the ice. Then Sam broke my silence. "Still alive?"

I slowed to a halt, something having caught my eye. Something shiny. I pressed a hand to the receiver over my ear. "Stand by, Sam. I found something, wanna check it out."

"Be careful. You remember what happened last time."

I huffed through my mask. "I stand by the fact that Akrid lying down look just like puppies. I'll contact you in a second, Matt out."

I removed my hand from the receiver, climbing off my snow cycle and placing a hand on my machine gun, holding it up to eye level. I crouched low, making my way down a hill as quietly as I could through the knee-deep snow, glancing nervously about. Out on the frozen steppes, you can never be too careful, and I could feel my heart beating rapidly against my chest… this didn't quite feel right. I got within twenty feet, and not daring to get much closer, I threw my trusty screwdriver. The loud sound of metal on metal calmed me immediately, along with several long slow breaths. Snow had piled up all around whatever this metal chunk was, leaving only a smooth, glinting black bit exposed. "My lucky day."

Deciding my vague silence had gone on long enough, Sam's worried voice made me jump, clapping a hand over the communicator in my ear. "Matt, what is it? Everything alright?"

"Holy crap, Sam, stop being so nervous! You know if I'm getting shot at, I scream."

"Fine, but if you ruin that bike, you realize how pissed Rose'll be?"

I rolled my eyes again, starting to dig. Rose was the third member of our team, the dedicated engineer. We'd picked her up only a month or so ago, but she easily was the best mechanic of the three of us. Easy on the eyes too, I suppose, but a personality like a lit firecracker that you couldn't see the fuse on. She always got angry when I misplaced a piece of equipment, or got lost for a couple days, and I always seemed deserve a stern talking to when I got back. But this thing in the ground, if I could dig it up and drag it back, I'd be a hero! "It looks like a vital suit."

"Someone left a VS out there?" Sam paused for a moment, before crackling back in my ear again. "Spare parts for Rose; she'll be happy for once. Think you can haul it back, or should we start on our way there?"

I kept dusting off and digging away what I could, trying to find a release, or a button to open the cockpit of the VS. "I'm gonna try and pop the front door, hang on a sec." The whole thing was painted glossy black, to the point it was almost creepy seeing yourself in the polished surface. The only part that wasn't painted was a single sensor bar on the 'head'. I stood up, scratching my head a little as I pondered the way to get in. Maybe it was a passcode? If it was, there was no chance of getting inside without a heat saw. Flexing my freezing fingers inside my mitts, I continued to stare down at the shining exterior. Doubtful it was anything remote controlled, at this size. I pulled my damp gloves off, shoving my bare hands into my jacket in hopes of getting some feeling back.

"What the-?" The radio suddenly went into white noise, a mess of squealing and static, and then came back with the sounds of mayhem; explosions and circuits crackling all around on the other end. "Matt, we've got Crim-...s! They're...-cking!" Another explosion and bullets rattling on the hull of the trailer cut through Sam's last transmission. "We nee-...help!"

My breath froze in my lungs. _Crimson Pirates…_ The only vital suit we had was in our trailer, which was under attack. My snow cycle, even though it could change into a walker, would be totally useless in a firefight if the Crimson Pirates had their own VS's out and about. My mind was racing, but then my eyes pointed something out that gave me the slightest inkling of a plan: the thing I had just uncovered. It looked like a VS, but the overall construction looked much more human in design. It had fully mobile arms, with weapons already attached. I started digging again in earnest, gloves cast aside in my fury, but as soon as my skin made contact, a whirring started up under the snow. As though responding to my touch, the head lit up, sensor eyes roving the sky, as the dented chest panels creaked and groaned, finally popping open and pulled back to reveal its cockpit, revealing a single seat perpendicular to the ground. I turned around and slipped inside, falling into the cushioning. Again, responding to my touch, it closed the hatch doors, and a screen lit up before me, along with a control panel, orange holographic displays flaring to life all around me, showing 180 degrees in front of me. A female computerized voice spoke, her pleasant voice echoing a little in the space, but not obnoxiously so. "Welcome, new pilot. This is the prototype battle suit known as SHD-00. You may call me HARLIE. How can I assist you? Perhaps you would like to start with the tutorial."

I sat, looking over the control panel in front of me: a holographic keypad and touch screens, coupled with a physical pair of joysticks. I pulled on the joysticks, trying to get the damn thing to move, but I got some grinding gears, whirring motors and no movement. Getting angry, I shouted at the screen, "You can assist me by moving. Right fucking now!"

I felt the cockpit rumble, and as I watched through the monitor, I saw stiff mechanical arms shifting in and out of my field of vision, snow falling off as they moved for the first time in a long time. "Testing all dragfins and actuators for damage. No significant damage. Transferring all available thermal energy to control systems. Warning: Reserves low. Warning: Life Support offline: Keep warm, please." I heard panels on the arms and legs clicking about, and at this point, I was feeling just the smallest bit impatient. I grabbed both joysticks, and pushed them forward hard, pressing a thumb button in my haste. I heard the computerized voice say, "Main boosters activated, please hold on."

There was a loud roar, the build-up of power in an engine. I tightened my hold of the joysticks in front of me; the sensation of being forced back against the wall was immense, almost like it was trying to take off. I saw a massive hunk of ice close in on the computer screen, its jagged edges showing in sharp relief and speeding right toward me. "Warning: Collision imminent."

I pulled back on the controls, and hit the boosters again. "Warning: Heat overload."

"Damn, you get annoying fast!"

Flying through the air, I saw my trailer below, pieces of it scattered about on the ground below the cliff I was on, a small squad of Crimson Pirates standing around the hangar doors, waiting to set charges. "Harlie, you have radar, right?"

"Affirmative. I have six different sensors, each spec-"

"Fan-fucking-tastic. Paint those Vital Suits so I can keep track of them."

"Task completed." Red markers flashed up on the screen, indicating targets on the VSs. The roar of the booster stopped, and the VS free-fell to the ground, landing with a loud crash, the impact making a crater in the powder, its knees bending to absorb the shock, a plume of snow surrounding my VS. I caught chatter from the Crimson Pirates over the cockpit radio, holographic displays popping up in my periphery with waveforms as they started yelling in surprise, "What the hell is that?" "Is that even a Vital Suit?" "What the hell! Shoot it!"

Shells rattled against the hull as I pulled hard on each of the control sticks in front of me, trying to learn the controls and look around for something that indicated a firearm or a heat saw or something, anything to fight back with! Getting frustrated, I slammed my hands on the control panel, yelling, "Doesn't this thing have any fucking weapons?"

"At these energy levels, I am able to use the Gatling gun and heat blade, as well as shoulder mounted missile pods. Which would you like to activate?"

My engineer's curiosity overcame my anger for a moment. "A heat blade?"

"Blade activated."

"Hold on! I didn't say I wanted that!"

The left arm swung up, creaking and groaning into the suit's field of vision, one of the arm panels popping up to reveal a hexagonal device, a strange cyan beam of rapidly pulsating energy shot. The boosters fired quickly, charging the nearest VS, slicing it up the middle. The robot body sparked at the spot where Harlie's arm had passed, and then the two halves fell away from one another, smoking for a moment as the pilot dived out of the shredded cockpit. A bright yellow flare lit up the view screen in front of me. "Whoa...one swing... and it cleaved the thing in half?"

"Affirmative. The heat blade was designed to be used for quick close combat; however, there are several known metals and electronic counter measures to be able to disperse the blade, which is why it was not approved for mass production."

The Crimson Pirates continued to fire, but the computer seemed to be one step ahead. The sound of shots ringing on the hull was suddenly absent as the boosters fired in quick succession, sliding over the battlefield, leaving me to worry only about when to strike. "Harlie, just what kind of program are you?"

"I am a prototype artificial intelligence, designated Human Assistance Relay Life Input Engine."

"Damn, that's a mouthful."

"You may say that again."

I stared at the control panel, trying to understand how an AI could make a joke, even if it was a bad one. The VS came to rest, and HARLIE spoke again, "All Targets and Points of interest have been destroyed. Remaining enemy targets are retreating. Objectives complete."

I whooped, doing a victorious arm pump, when I heard a wavering female voice come in from the outside, projected by the trailer, "Target VS, you have 10 seconds to move away from this trailer or the guns on this thing will fry you, no matter how fast you move."

I blinked a few times, surprised by such a negative reaction. As realization dawned on me, I peeled myself out of the seat, saying, "Harlie, open the cockpit, willya?"

"Certainly." The VS set down on a knee, opening the chest panels, revealing the sunlight through the brief dark of the cabin when the console lights had turned off. I stepped out into the relative brightness, shielding my eyes and a wide grin plastered across my face. Rose's voice came in over the loud speaker and my earpiece this time. "Matt!"

I jumped down into the fresh snow, trudging through towards the trailer. Rose and Sam came charging out the wrecked bay doors, almost tripping in the fresh snow. I laughed and picked up my pace slightly, catching both of them in a bear hug. Rose pulled out of the hug, punching me in the arm. "Matt, you bastard! You scared the crap out of us with that black VS."

I glanced over my shoulder. Its likeness to a shadow really was uncanny, even a bit off-putting if you looked at it too long. Like staring at something that wasn't supposed to exist. I shrugged my shoulder, jerking a thumb back at the VS, trying to sound casual. "This old thing? Ah, I just found her lying covered in snow."

Rose's focus had shifted from me to the VS, as Sam smiled back at me. "Well, lucky for us you did! Half the systems were about to go critical when you dropped in." I chuckled, turning to Rose, who'd edged a few steps closer to the machine, and I caught an all too familiar glint in her eye.

"Oooooh, no, you aren't."

"What? I didn't say I was gonna take it apart!"

I smirked and tapped my temple, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at her. "But you were thinkin' it."

She leveled a look of indignation at me, her hands on her waist, though her right crept down to the tools hanging off her belt. "But... But...it'd be nice to have more of these things! I could learn how to build it! I so totally could!"

I stood there, shaking my head, still grinning. I turned to Sam while I held Rose securely by the collar to keep her from getting at Harlie. "How long until the trailer's fixed?"

Sam grimaced as he looked over some of the damage from a distance. "Well...totally fixed, with plating reattached, displays, turrets, and treads replaced, and bypass all the ruptured conduits and all? Probably ten weeks, on the low end? Maybe seventeen at the max."

I sighed, letting my head sag slightly. _Wonderful..._ My grip slipped on Rose's jacket, and she made a bolt through the snow towards the VS. I lunged after her, grabbing her by the foot, managing to tackle her into the snow, and pulling her back towards me. Hoisting her over my shoulder, I turned back to Sam, who was shaking in silent laughter. "Shut your cakehole. How long till we can get moving again?"

Sam got himself under control, saying, "Well, considering the worst damage they did was to our power distribution, we could drive blind in maybe five hours?" He folded his arms across his chest. "Though we won't be able to go far with half the treads gone."

I nodded, hoisting the squirming Rose into a more comfortable position on my shoulder. "It'll do. I'd say get Harlie inside and charged, then get right to repairs on the engine." I patted Rose on the outside of her thigh, earning a sharp swat on my head. "Me and this one'll go get started on that power grid."

Sam raised an eyebrow as I took my first step toward the trailer. "Okay, so...How do I move that thing?"

I paused, my eyebrows furrowed in thought. A grin slid onto my lips, snow crunching up to my knees as I made my way back to the trailer. "Just ask nicely."

The warmth from inside the trailer hit my face like a soft kiss as the door hissed open. I sighed, smiling. "Feels good to be home."

Something hard and metal clonked me on the head. "Put me down, jerk."

I set Rose down, closing and locking the exterior door and rubbing a palm where she struck me. She glared at me once more, and then walked over to the nearest conduit, placing her wrench on her belt again. I smirked, walking into the briefing room. Panels inside sparked all around me, two of which had been shattered in the blasts. I walked around the center display, running my fingertips over exposed wiring and shards of glass, picking up a fallen screen and turning it over, inspecting it closely. "What a mess... I'm surprised any of this is even fixable."

"Well, then you should be glad we're all capable mechanics here."

I turned my head to see Rose leaning on the doorway. I smiled ruefully, mumbling mostly to myself, "True."

I think I caught the briefest glimpse of a worried look as I turned around, but by the time I was facing her, she was closed up tighter than a clam and wearing a frown to boot. She shot me a glare once more, saying, "Jerk."

I raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused. Shaking my head, I started to explore any cut wires behind the broken panels. I tapped a communications panel on the wall, getting back only static and a couple of fresh sparks. Busted, like everything else. I placed a hand on my earpiece. "Sam, do you copy?"

"Read you loud and clear. Pretty advanced AI you've got in there. Bit of an eavesdropper, though. She said hi when I got in."

"Yeah yeah, Harlie's a prototype battle AI, or something like that. Listen, are you in the engine room? I really don't want to be sitting here when those pirates come to find their friends."

"Just got here. It's not as bad as I expected, but the drive core looks like it took a pretty bad surge. It's gonna be slow going for a while."

"As long as we're going." I tinkered with a wire, testing the connection to another, continuing to talk to Sam. "Any clue what's up with Rose? She's angrier than usual."

"We did just have half our trailer blown to bits."

"True, but that's not really my fault, is it?"

"Like that matters?"

I gave him a noncommittal jerk of my head, though it was fairly pointless, as he was down in the engine room. I connected a pair of wires, and sparks flew everywhere. I looked at the screen to my right. "Nothing...damn."

I stood and rested myself on the console for a long time, letting Sam's talk go through my head. _This place blows..._ I thought. I tapped the console a few times, lost in thought, letting the sound of my tapping echo through my head. Tightening my hand into a fist, I smashed the plating above the screen. Sparks flew, and the briefing room burst into life for a few seconds before burning out again, giving me enough time to check all of the systems. "Satellite map and heat chart, both completely gone. Wonderful."

Rose's voice echoed through the trailer, "We've got another conduit burst! Deck 2, section F!"

I raced out of the briefing room, up the stairs two at a time, I found Rose trying to weld shut a freely steaming pipe, waves of heat emanating off of everything as the water in the air all around evaporated, "Are you insane?!"

Grabbing a wrench, I twisted a close valve on the piping, and the steam stopped. She looked up at me as though startled, though I couldn't see her eyes through the goggles. I turned on Rose, glaring at her. "What the fuck is your problem? That steam could've boiled your skin off! That's not something I should have to tell you, Rose!"

Rose turned back to the piping, finishing the job. She turned to me, who was still standing there, still glaring at her, about ready to shake some sense into the girl. She peeled her goggles up from her eyes, she was glaring right back at me. "Conduit's fixed, asshole."

Taken slightly aback by her response, I let her walk past, still staring at the spot she had been a second ago as though it were crazy. Recovering from my shock, I looked down the corridor after her, still extremely puzzled.

Sam walked up behind me as I stood frozen, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Shoulda seen her when the Crimsons attacked. She's been in a fire-fight before, but I think you being out when they attacked really worried her."

Coming out of my trance, I snapped at him, "What are you, my psychiatrist, now?"

Sam shrugged. "Just trying to help."

I glared him down for a moment, before stalking off to go restore power in the cargo bay, the one place I knew I could find peace and quiet here. I opened the door, and was frozen in place for a solid minute. The whole place was riddled with holes in the walls, black impact marks on the opposite walls. And my suit... My old VS was completely wrecked, as though the Crimsons had made it a point to blow every piece that might have been repairable into even smaller shards. The hull behind it was smeared and splattered with its snow white paint like blood splattered on a wall. I kneeled down, picking up a piece of white paneling, running my fingers over the scarred metal, eyes closed. The frustration of the day came flooding back to me, and I let out a yell, hurling the broken metal at the nearest wall, reflecting off, but marring the wall no less, leaving a streak of white paint, clattering to the floor. "Heard something crash back there. Everything okay, Matt?"

I breathed heavily for a moment, until I saw the black VS resting in a sitting position against the wall. Taking a final deep breath, I put my hand against the receiver. "Yeah...Yeah, Sam. I'm good."

I sat down against the wall, looking out one of the unbroken windows at the top of the hangar bay. My mind slowly drifted from repairs, and became drowsy, the excitement of the afternoon slipping away with the fading light outside. _...This place blows..._


	2. The Morning After

**CHAPTER 2  
The Morning After**

A freezing breeze passed over my face, whistling in a large room that was bouncing a little every now and then. The chill bit into my wind burnt cheeks, shivering me awake. I looked around, very confused as to where I was, trying to get up in a hurry, only to find myself wrapped in something warm and heavy. I thought for a moment, and then said quietly, "Right..."

It was freezing in the cargo hold, and must have been so most of the night. I was lucky, though, to have friends like Sam and Rose, because I found myself wrapped in thick gray blankets. I looked at the black VS to my left, sun glinting off the paneling through the holes in the walls. I unwrapped myself from the cocoon of blankets, dusting my pants off, walking through the door. There was a jolt, causing me to brace myself against the doorway. I slammed my hand against a nearby panel, yelling at it, "Sam, what's going on?!"

Sam's startled voice came back over the communicator in my ear. "Jesus, Matt, you scared the shit outta me! We're just moving on, like you said. Putting distance between us and where you found Harlie."

I was very confused, not remembering having said that at all. Though it did sound like a good plan. I looked back over my shoulder at the VS, then continuing up the corridor. Whoever built that VS is going to want it back, and its reactivation may not have gone unnoticed. I walked onto the bridge, rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes. I walked over to the helm, eyes still closed, and placed my hand on the person's shoulder, yawning, "So's Rose still bitching?"

I opened my eyes, and immediately regretted my previous statement. "_Bitching_...am I?"

A deathly silence brewed in the bridge, knives being impaled in my face from Rose's eyes, broken in my ear by Sam saying, "Uh...you know I'm doing maintenance on the engine coil, right?"

I bolted from the bridge, turning the corner just quick enough to dodge a rather hefty pair of pliers that hit the wall and fell to the floor. Rose's voice echoed throughout the trailer, "JERK!"

Sam's laughter filled my headset as I walked to the engine room. "Yeah, yeah, it's not that funny."

"Dude, Matt, you have like _the_ worst luck with her."

I growled into the headset, opening the door to the boiling hot room that contained our engine. I walked over to Sam, checking to make sure Rose hadn't beat me here, saying, "So, I'm going to take that as a yes?"

Sam's torso was shaking with silent laughter, as he said, "Gee, ya think? You know she holds grudges worse than anyone."

I nodded. "I'd drink to that..." Adding silently, 'If we had anything to drink..."

A few minutes passed with idle chatter and my eating the breakfast Sam had brought with (for himself, I assume. His fault he's a slow eater.) before Sam hoisted himself out from the inner-workings of the engine. He wiped the sweat on his face with an oil stained rag, placing this in his back pocket. "That should do it for the engine, but there's cracks everywhere in there. She won't be able to go through too much more."

I sighed. "Well, if the trailer falls to pieces, there's plenty of spare parts for Rose..."

We turned to leave the engine room, when Rose's voice rang in through the ear piece. "I'm picking up a small, fast moving signature moving towards us. Also, there's a message on the comm. Something about an MS and debts you owe?"

Sam and I froze, continuing to look forwards. Our eyes met, and we dashed off past each other. Pressing my ear piece in, I yelled, "Rose, I want you to keep moving no matter what, you understand? Do not stop the trailer unless totally necessary, and get ready for a moving deployment."

Rose blurted out protestations, and I shouted again, "Rose? Do you understand?"

Her voice came in its usual angry tone, but I heard a slight waver at the beginning. "I hear you."

I slammed the door of the hanger wide open, running over to Harlie, using her leg as a ladder into the cockpit. The door panels slid closed, and the screens and controls burst into life. "Welcome back Matt. How did you sleep?"

I tapped a few keys, and the VS rose, moving towards the hangar doors. I closed my eyes hard, forcing myself awake; peering out into the swirling snow that had picked up in the short time I'd been awake, I couldn't see anything Rose had mentioned. Snow was being thrown up by the treads rotating quickly, only adding to the blizzard forming outside. "Lousy. Bay was way too cold."

Fans turned on in the cockpit, warming me slowly. I blinked a couple times. "Thanks?" Harlie's voice chimed in warmly. "You are welcome. Please let me know if I can make the cabin more comfortable." I blinked again, still surprised at the AI's actions, until a bump shook the whole trailer.

I squeezed the joysticks, leaning a little closer to the screen, my eyes narrowing as I tried to find a pinpoint of light or movement or metal. Continuing to look out the door, I waited, my toes tapping impatiently on the flooring. Rose's voice crackled in over my radio, making me jump. "Matt, who is that? And why do you and Sam seem so worried about him?"

I continued to watch out the back, reaching up to a button on the screen, engaging the onboard communications, snapping at the girl over the radio. "Magon Barca! Ask Sam! Keep this channel clear!" I hit the button again, addressing Harlie now, "How are we on weapon systems? Any surprises crop up during the night?"

"None, Matt. All weapons are now fully operational, including some offline during the previous battle to prevent depleting heat reserves. Flares, EM Vulcan, and plasma rifle are at your disposal."

"Wow... you are seriously loaded."

Sam's voice chimed in at this point. "Though when he and Matt finally faced off, he found Matt to be an almost equal opponent, which he thought of being very rare. He has a pension for making speeches, and we used that as a chance to get the heck out."

I interrupted him by clearing my throat. There was something a bit more important at the moment. "Rose, turn us so we're facing away from him."

Rose's voice came in very clear, "Roger."

Snow churned behind us at a funny angle for a moment, then I could see a bright yellow light shining directly behind us. I grinned, saying, "There he is."  
Sam decided now would be a good time to continue the story. "After he let us slip away, he lost all offers of jobs. No one wanted a bounty hunter who wouldn't kill the target. So every now and again he comes back to try and kill us. And even though Matt whoops his butt on a regular basis-"

I spoke quietly. "I wouldn't call tying a 'whooping'." The light behind us was growing brighter as he gained on the trailer. My grip on the controls vacillated, my nerves starting to creep up on me, making me feel antsy. I took my chances. Pressing forward on the joysticks, I felt the VS bend at the knees. I heard an engine behind and above me revving, and Harlie said, "Boosters activated. One moment."  
I looked at a status control panel on my left, showing a flashing part just above my head, as well as a bar graph showing the status of individual parts. "Flywheels spooling. Thermal tanks at maximum. Fast-assist boost ready. Firing primary boosters, please hold on." Taken by a sudden inspiration, I pressed my hand to the earpiece by force of habit. "Keep an eye out for a flare! That'll be the signal to-" There was a sudden roar, and I was pressed back against my seat, pushing my jaw shut, static filling the radio from the ensuing radiation. Bursting through the hangar doors, I skimmed over the surface of the snow, leaving the trailer in my wake. "Heat sword activated."

I watched on the rumbling monitor as the VS grew larger and larger. "Let's take it out in one shot! I don't wanna have to deal with this guy ever again."  
A voice crackled quietly in my ear, "Now, that's not a good way to speak to an old friend, is it?"

The anger was obtrusive in my voice as I growled back. "Old friend, my ass."

I twitched the controls, and the VS spun in a full circle, brandishing the heat blade, ready to slash through the cockpit. I felt the slash, and I felt the blade connect. "Too easy."

Harlie's voice ruined my victory. "That VS is emitting a similar pulse as the one used to create the heat sword."

"-Eff... I hate being right."

I turned the VS around, seeing only a cloud of snow hovering in the air before me, "Sonuvabitch!"

I slammed the controls forward again, hitting the boosters. "Fast-assist boos-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, hold on! Just GO!"

The sensation of being flattened by the acceleration was immense, and I watched the heat in the engine rising. "Harlie, what are our options?"

"I am having trouble getting an exact lock on the target. The pulse is also scattering my scanners."

I swore under my breath, watching the radar as I slowly caught up to the other VS. I could see his boosters flashing ahead of me, and I tapped the joysticks, getting anxious. He was closer to the trailer than I was to him. "Harlie, can we go any faster?"

"We can, however, we will be left on short reserves if caught in a fire fight."

"Right now, I could care less. I just need to stop him."

"Please hold on, increasing thermal energy ratio to bosters."

There was immediate kickback, and I watched as my speed soared, hardly able to move, barely able to hang onto the joysticks. Coming up just behind the VS, I saw a reticle on my view screen trying to lock on. "Just shoot! I don't care how accurate it is!"

There was a momentary pause before Harlie spoke. "Firing."

Missiles sprang from their cubby holes on the shoulder, trailing after the VS, white lines of smoke surrounding my view screen. Several collided in midair, until one claimed the target, an explosion rocking the other VS, propelled forward a short distance by its own dying boosters before it fell, rolling to a halt in the snow. "Direct hit to target's booster manifold, slowing to match."

Matt skidded us to a halt between the VS and the trailer, which had continued to move on at top speed. The same quiet voice crackled in over my radio again, but I could hear notes of anger and surprise mixed in with the monotone hiss. "Matt's learning to play rough, hmm?"

My VS stood at the ready, my hands resting on the controls, waiting for the slightest signs of movement. "Cut the crap, and let's get down to business. What do you want? And don't say because you want to fight. If you wanted a fight, you'd have turned around back there and cut to the chase. And for a worthless bounty hunter, you have some new gadgets."

"I see you've noticed the new VS I'm in. State of the art. Nice, isn't it?"

I rolled my eyes, mumbling to Harlie, "Told you he liked to talk about himself." I opened the comm. once more. "Quit playing games, Magon, I'd like to get back to my usual work."

Magon's VS took a step forward, both guns sighted on my cockpit. "I'd prefer you used my full name. And if this were any other day, I would, but you see, I can't, because you've got another even _better_ bounty on you now."  
I was slightly perplexed. "Another one? For what?"

There was a tremor of enjoyment in Magon's voice. "Someone wants their MS back, with or without you in it. I rather prefer the latter."

"MS?"

"I don't have time to explain things to you. Either get out, or prepare to be pried from that seat."

The silence deepened over the frozen plains, waves of snow flying past us, whistling through the crevices of our VSs. Mine creaked quietly beneath me, and Magon's stood its ground, though I could see the heat from the boosters rising. I had to do something. My fuel was slowly slipping away, and the snow slowly gathered on my VS. "Tell me, why'd you call Harlie an 'MS'?"

Magon's voice crackled over my radio, a note of exasperation in his voice. "An MS is-" Harlie's voice spoke for the first time in a while, cutting the other off. "Matt, if I might make a suggestion?"

I looked up. "Hey, wait, he was going to say something!"

"It is irrelevant. I will explain the situation when we return to the trailer" I looked at the panel that indicated her systems. "The pulse Magon's VS is emitting a pulse of the same frequency as my targeting computer and heat sword."

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Makes it hard for me to hit him. So what?"

"Forgive me. However, I believe if I rotated the frequency of both to random intervals, you would be free to hit him."

I blinked, surprised at such a simple flaw in the design of the pulse. _He'd never expect this_, I thought "There is a risk, however."

I shook my head. "Screw the risk. If he dies, it's fine by me."

"You misinterpret. The risk is to this MS."

"Huh? What?"

"The targeting computer and heat blade were never meant to rotate frequencies."

"Okay, so what're we risking?"

"The generator could overload, rendering this MS inoperable, or perhaps cause an explosion. Also, the frequency rotation may have been anticipated by the designers of that VS."

I hate risks. I tapped my foot on the metal floor, and opened the comm. link. "Magon, this is your last warning. If you don't leave the area now, I'm going to have to hurt you."

A cackle rang over my radio. "Nice try, Matt, old sport. However, I know the secret of your pulse weapons and targeting. If anything, you should be the one worried about being hurt."

The ground rumbled, and I saw Magon's VS's leg bend, getting ready to move. I moved my own's legs into a suitable position to dodge at the first sign of movement. I closed the comm. and yelled, "Harlie, you heard his response. Do your thing!"

"Indeed. Frequency modulation in effect."

The heat blade popped from its shell, its colors shifting colors of blue, to a clear color, then back through blues and purples. "Matt, I would recommend attacking now. We are beginning to run low on thermal energy reserves."

"Well, looks like we've got to make this count then."

Boosters flared up, and the overpowering roar of the engines filled the cabin. The two VSs took off at one another. I took my hand off a joystick, sliding a hand across the touch screen at an angle, and the heat blade swung at empty air, as Magon's VS had jumped high into the air, boosting over my head. Harlie chimed in again, something about the other's design. Turning quickly, I fired my own boosters, throwing the VS forward, as bullet shells spotted the ground behind me. Magon's VS touched down directly in front of mine, just out of reach. The next few moments seemed to take an eternity. Magon's VS spun around to aim at mine. Whether I was too far away or too slow, I can't remember. All I remember is the impact. Magon had fired rockets from hidden shoulder panels, just like Harlie's. As my VS skidded to a halt on its side in the snow, Harlie's alarm system was going off again as I registered sound once again. "Warning: Primary arm actuators damaged. Switching to Secondary. Warning: Plasma rifle disabled. Rerouting power."

I growled, trying to get back up, "How many times do I have to tell you to shut the hell UP?!" I fired the boosters, throwing me up off the ground, landing my VS on its feet, and charging forward. Magon's thermal saw ignited just before I hit him, and he swung horizontally. I braced myself, watching as the saw came closer, everything in slow motion again.

Harlie took control, throwing the VS into a slide. As we passed below Magon's saw, the heat blade passed through both legs, slicing them neatly. Harlie used the right arm to throw us into a standing position, firing boosters at the same moment. A voice sprang over my radio. "What the...?" The claw-like left hand dug its nails into the VS's shell, crinkling the armor like it were cardboard in its grasp, before the right hand came up to rip off the chest plating, leaving the pilot exposed to the weather, throwing the wrecked machine to the ground, before firing the boosters once more, allowing her to jump away as the VS exploded, throwing the pilot from its wreckage to the snow at my feet. Magon's startled face looked from the burning wreckage to the scuffed paint of my own.

I felt like vomiting. I'd never piloted such an intense VS, and the force of such turns and sudden boosting was just over my limit. I clamped a hand over my mouth, my face surely a bright shade of green, shivering as I tried to recover from the acceleration and deceleration. I slowly regained my composure over a minute or so, opening the cockpit to step out. I jumped down into the snow. I glared down at the shamed bounty hunter, and grabbing Magon roughly by the front of his jacket, I growled dangerously over the wind, "Now, who sent you?"

Magon was still too speechless and confused to say much beyond, "How...?"

I shook him, yelling, "Not an answer to my question!"

My free hand pulled a pistol from my jacket, pressing it into his forehead. "I don't feel like playing games right now, so you've got to the count of two. One..."

Magon's eyes were still startled from the shock of having his VS completely wrecked. He regained himself, glaring up at me. "Who do you think it was? There's only one company on this rock that could produce a machine like that." He jerked his head toward the black VS behind me.

I lowered the gun, glaring down at my constant opponent. "Fucking NEVEC..." Throwing him back into the snow, I walked away from him. The sound of a gun being pulled free of a holster came to my ears over the wind. I spun, aiming at Magon again, only to find him closer than I expected, but both our guns were trained at a spot on the other's forehead. "Honestly, how many times does a mark have to get away before you pack it in?"

The silence lengthened between the two of us, both of our trigger fingers twitching from the intensity. "If I may intrude, Matt?" There was a loud creaking and a clicking sound as the Gatling gun spun into view over my head. I smirked, lowering my own weapon. "Not much point of taking me out when you get blasted to bits for it." Magon's eyes narrowed, and he lowered his pistol. I turned again, my blood pounding in my head, calling for him to be done and over with.

"You and your friends won't be so lucky next time! I'll destroy everything in that shithole trailer of yours! I'll come after you again and again! None of you'll be able to sleep for fear of Magon Barca!" Magon's speech was just hearable over the howling gale. I clenched my jaw, turning back around to him, whispering quietly, "No... You won't. Not anymore." I raised my pistol again, and he swore in surprise and terror, trying to run back to the wreckage of his VS. There was a bang, and he fell forward, leaving a divot in the snow as he slid to a halt.


	3. Do I Taste Purple?

The wind picked up, swirling the start of a blizzard around my ears, the sound of its howling echoing off nearby boulders. Gears and metal creaked, the horizon bouncing barely visible through the wall of snow, as Harlie set us in motion. A mortar fired over my head, and seconds later, a brilliant flare exploded, light twisting and flashing through the falling snow crystals, broken by so many prisms. Step by step, we followed the trail of our friends, and with every step, the snow seemed to fall thicker. I was still on the lip of the cockpit, holding onto the frame as Harlie walked the VS back, balancing the impact of every step on the balls of my feet.

More wind picked up, even colder than before, coming in from the south, pushing heavier , darker clouds with it. I ducked my head into the cockpit and sat down, the door sliding shut behind me, warm air flooding into the cabin again, making it almost stiflingly hot. "We're running low on fuel…" I raised a hand, fiddling with the holographic display, bringing up an exact amount of fuel and how long it would take to run out. "And here I was thinking you were all powerful…" I muttered facetiously.

The time ticked back, turning red as it came down to single digit minutes. "Matt. I have a solution." I perked up at the calm female voice echoed from the speakers.

"You've been quiet. Whaddya got?"

"I have been contemplating our present situation, and no avenue beyond the return of the trailer will allow me to continue to stay active constantly."

"Kinda stating the obvious there…" I sighed, pulling off my hat and running a hand through my hair before looking back up at the screen. "I thought you had an idea."

"Forgive me. If I cycle power on for a minute every twenty two minutes, I could synthesize a moderate amount of fuel from reserves and spent energy, as well as heat from the engines."

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around the meaning of this. "Hang on a second… you can MAKE your own thermal energy?"

"No. I can merely produce an adequate substitute from the remnants of the thermal energy. It is considerably lower grade, and will not be of use in combat or movement, simply keeping my CPU intact should we run out of fuel."

I sighed, looking into the deck plating again. "And here I really was, starting to think you really were all powerful…"

---

A howling wind blew in from the north, nearly knocking me forward into the snow. Waves of blown snow slithered across the surface, making it ripple like some kind of massive snake. The gale picked up, whistling between the paneling of the VS' joints. She'd kneeled down to try and help shield me from the wind and the biting snow, to little effect; the tiny prismatic crystals had been sharpened into infinitesimally small knives by the wind. It was like getting mauled by a herd of a thousand extremely tiny kittens. I was doing my best to make any speedy repairs I could, but Harlie's make-up left me baffled.

She had back-ups for everything, as far as I could tell. Actuators, generators, radars, even three times as much memory and computer hardware. Multiple heated coolant lines and energy pathways. She was surely built for heavy combat. Life-support was minimal but existent. Cabin was sealed and able to be pressurized as well. All this led me to a single question, one which would be saved for another time.

It was slow work, and there was neither sight nor sound of the trailer. Maybe they hadn't spotted the flare over such a long distance. Maybe... Just maybe... I'd been left behind...

I shook my head, closing the panel in front of me. I heard systems inside shutting down, looking up at the red eye band on the head, deactivating from its usual roving, fixed on some point in the ground, slowly dimming away to black. _Alone again..._ I sighed; Harlie wasn't much for conversation, but the lack of her presence- it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I grabbed the loose scarf, trying to get more of it around my neck. _Alone in a blizzard... Not much worse can happen. _

And then all at once, things got worse. A spray of bullets flew past me, a couple ringing against the black hull of the MS. I threw myself into the snow, crawling over to take cover behind Harlie. As long as she was shut down, I was pretty much defenseless. Eleven shots in my pistol, at range, shivering; I didn't really like my odds. More gunfire now, sounding more like 3 guns, and then 5... And then they all mixed together and I lost track; didn't matter much, already'd figured I was outnumbered.

I waited until the sounds of gunfire had stopped, shivering violently against the freezing winds. I heard snow shuffling at a distance, like someone trying to sneak in waist deep snow. My heart skipped a beat before I dove into a snow drift a few feet away and pulling more over top of me, trying to hide myself in the fresh powder. I'm not sure how long I was in the snow for, but the freezing cold pressed in around me, a slow trickle of melting snow making its torturously slow journey down my back. Every second I stayed in the drift, I had to clench my teeth even harder, every muscle in my body begging me to shiver. Numbness crept up from my toes, and even lying stock still in the snow, I could feel my joints going wobbly.

Flashlights came up over a bunker of snow, moving low and fast over the frozen plains. Scouts. They'd been sent over, looking all around for signs of their vanished quarry. One checked inside the cockpit, and the other was turning slowly moving ever closer. His head was bent to the ground, moving in a slow zigzag pattern, looking for some hint of where I might have vanished to. I felt like a python, hidden in plain sight, my muscles tensed, ready to strike, my prey moving closer to his inevitable death, completely unaware. He paused, looking down into the snow. Even through those red goggles, I could feel his eyes squinting at my outline. I blinked, and his body stiffened, the gun coming up from his hip.

The first burst of adrenaline hit my blood, and the familiar feeling of time slowing down came over me. I struck out with my foot, hitting him in the side of the knee, causing him to stumble into the snow, a spray of bullets barely missing my torso. My gun came up out of the snow, squeezing the trigger, hitting the man in the cockpit between the shoulder blades. I brought the pistol down, pointing at the head of the man. My finger tensed, ready to pull the trigger, but something held me back. Maybe it was the idea of shooting someone in the head, but I spun my gun around, and swung, feeling the butt of my gun connect with skull, a loud exhale and a truncated noise of pain before he lay still in the snow next to me

I pulled myself free of the embankment, my hand extending out, pulling on the loop of the unconscious man's machine gun, when I heard a slide click into place. My head snapped up, only to find a barrel aimed right at my eye. There was a moment's pause, before I let go of the gun and stood up, hand raised in surrender. Through his scarf, I could see his jaw was clenched, and his gun drifted down, aiming right into my chest. "Not this time, fucker."

Lights suddenly flooded the area, and a shot rang out clearly over the ferocity of the blizzard, and the man who had me at gunpoint seized up, falling face first into the snow, feeling a pinch in my shoulder, my ears ringing for some reason. There was the sound of multiple guns firing, back and forth from both sides until at long last relative silence came again. A large door began to slowly lower, and I felt my heart leap as I saw my two friends run out of the trailer, guns in hand. I tried to reach up and wave my thanks, but my arm only hung uselessly at my side, as an odd feeling of warm liquid spread over my left side.

I heard them shout my name, but it sounded like they were far away, a rushing sound filling up my head... Too far to care if I fell. The snow certainly looked comfortable... Maybe it'd be easier if I... If I... Just closed my eyes for a while...

Warm air brushing against my bare skin... A hand on my shoulder, pushing hard... The smell of disinfectant in the air... A band of bright fluorescent lights overhead… The feeling of cool metal on bare skin.

It was dark. Wherever I was. Disinfectant in the air still. My limbs numb. And sticking to something… Do I taste purple?

I blinked slowly a couple times. My eyes were sore, even in the dark, from being squeezed shut for so long. The feel of cold metal was still pressed up against my back. A band of low orange lights illuminated the floor. I must've been in the small medical bay we had on board.

I reached up, feeling a large square bandage taped over where the injury was. Peeling it away (not without a couple yelps of pain as it separated hair from skin), I saw they'd simply tried to tape it shut. As I lay on the table-bed, I thought about how ironic it was that the best medic was the one who got shot. Smiling, I rolled slowly out of bed, not realizing I was hooked up to a heart monitor, which began to broadcast a flat line over the PA as the clip slipped off my finger. I turned around and glared at the machine, letting it continue to flat-line as I returned to search for stitching equipment.

The first person in the room was Rose, her brown hair out from its usual ponytail, flowing down over her shoulders. The door slammed against the wall, and I heard her practically punch the wall as she searched for the switch. The light flashed into life, and I looked over at her, a wide grin on my face as I looked her over. "Hey, thanks for the light. Need some help stitching, though."

The silence spread between us for a couple seconds, until I reached out with the needle and tweezers I'd found. In a moment, she'd wound up, and swung a punch I was barely ready for, giving me just enough time to duck. "We've been worried sick about you! How could you do that to us?! We didn't know if you were going to die, or if we needed to do something else for you! I thought you were dead! Such a jerk!"

I'd stumbled backwards after ducking her punch, cradling my hurt shoulder, holding up s hand in a silent plea for her to stop when she wound up for a second punch, with me stuck against the wall. Catching her arm on the back swing, Sam managed to get her into a bear hug. Rose struggled violently against him, even trying to stomp on his foot to let her go. "Hey, hey, hey now! You break something else on him, and we're stuck in the same place we were before."

Rose turned her head, and pushed him off and started to silently pace the room, still glaring down at me. Sam went about cleaning up the minor mess I'd made in the dark, grabbing the needle off the floor. He pushed me back to the metal table, throwing a blanket down for me to sit on without freezing. "About time. I thought my back was going to freeze to the damn thing."

Sam rolled his eyes at me, turning around to push me back into a sitting position, walking over to check the monitor and another machine whose purpose I couldn't remember. "What the hell were you trying to do, make yourself bleed out again? How in the world are you standing anyhow?"

Adjusting the blanket under me, I raised an eyebrow at him. "Bleed out from a shoulder wound? That's covered?"

Sam gave me an odd look, pointing at my leg. Another bandage. And on the other leg… Another. I pursed my lips, trying to decide just exactly what the problem was. My mind sluggishly made the connection. "I…I was shot… three times?"

"Four. One more barely missed your stomach." He tapped a spot on my back, pain shooting up through my back, and yelped in pain. "We don't poke bullet wounds!"

Rubbing my back, I lay slowly on the table again, glaring at Sam, who shook his head and went back to cleaning up my small mess. Rose had stopped and was leaning on the door frame, watching me with an exceptionally gentle look on her face, arms crossed tightly over her stomach. I smiled brightly at her, and the look on her face only became more worried. "I think you gave him a little too much, Sam."

"Too much? Too much what?"

Sam had leaned down in front of a small beige machine, fiddling with a small dial on the side. "Right after you went down, you were silent for a while, but your face was all clenched, like you were in some serious pain. We were going to stitch you up…" Sam shot a glance over at Rose, a small smile spreading on his face. "You managed to grab the scissors out of Rose's hand and started screaming bloody murder, 'n flailing around and shit. Nearly stabbed me in the leg with the damn scissors."

I pursed my lips again, trying to recall the events. "So…what? What happened?"

Sam's smile faded a little, looking a little more concerned. I started to smile. "What?"

"I… uh… gave you like 90 milligrams of morphine."

"Morphine?"

I could hear the gears in my head clicking slowly, sometimes skipping a tick, then grinding back into place. I remember thinking how cool it was. Like it was trying to make music. I smiled a little more. "Nice."

"Okay. You're right, I gave him too much."

Rose pushed off the wall, her arms still crossed across her stomach. "What do we do?"

I lay back on my pillow, as sitting up was making my back hurt a little. Watching the lights above me start to pulse a little, matching a slow steady beat in my head, I heard a deeper voice say, "I guess… we should let him enjoy it for now?"

"Guys, don't worry about me." I leaned my head up, still smiling brightly. "I'm feeling great, and there's a lot you have to do. I'll find some way to entertain myself."

They looked from me to one another, and I put my head back down on the pillows. I heard that red haired chick whisper something to the thicker, brown haired dude, phoned in from somewhere far away, like I was watching a television that was set too quiet, but echoing in my ears as I fell back to sleep.

Long, thin wispy plants rose up around me, golden, with little white tufts at the very tips. I blinked a few times. There weren't any clouds here. I could see some mountains off to my left, but they weren't the same dark dragon's teeth I knew. They were purplish. With green plants covering the sides, and tiny caps of pure white snow at the very tops. I sat up. It didn't hurt. I was naked… I didn't mind.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

A female voice. I turned around, looking for its source. A woman, very comfortably dressed, a tee shirt and shorts. Long red hair. "Rose?" I had a problem with being naked now.

She turned around, a mischievous smile on her face. "Ooh, aren't we smart?" She laughed, walking over to me and helping me to my feet, the smile slipping slightly as she spoke. "I thought we might need to talk." She sounded concerned again. I smiled now. "That's the Rose I know."

She grinned back at me, stilling holding my hand and pulling me through the wispy plants. "Where are we?" She smiled cheekily back at me; there was a pause before she spoke again. "Where do _you_ think we are?"

She stopped tugging me along, giving me a chance to look around from the foot of a hill. "I don't know… This couldn't be Eden…" I glanced back at my figment, and she just kept smiling brightly at me, pulling me up the hill. "Come on."

The jagged black rocks I associated with far off mountains and an unreachable goal, but their sides were worn smooth, making a sharp edge, and a steep drop to a sand bar below, a dark blue body of water stretching out endlessly. I had to stop, my hand slipping free of hers. I stared for some time, watching as rollers came in and out, splashing up the walls of the inlet. The sounds of these waves as they crashed against the rocks, sounded like the deep breathing of a magnificent beast. "Do you like it?"

She sounded almost worried. Like a sister who just bought her brother a surprise. I smiled, both in response and out of humor, offering her a slight nod. She squealed delightfully, pulling my arm along the cliff, hurrying up to a jog until we reached a grassy patch growing on top of a large boulder. Cracks ran down its obsidian face, and I could see a tiny stream coming out of the crack.

Rose sat down, her legs dangling over the edge and swinging them back and forth like a small child. I shifted uncomfortably in my jacket and jeans next to her. She grinned up at me, patting the pat of grass next to her so I would sit down.

She rested her head on my shoulder, her arms wrapped around my stomach. We breathed in time with the giant beast, and when the waves wouldn't come, we held our breath. The sun passed in front of us a number of times I couldn't count, rising and setting in front of us, each sun rise cool and grey and refreshing, and each sunset colorful and exhilarating and breathtaking.

"I need to ask you something, Matt."

Her voice was barely a whisper in my ear, with her chin resting atop my shoulder. I blinked a few times, looking at her as vest I could. She smiled at me and rolled over, kneeling over my legs, straddling them, her body pressed tight into mine, wearing nothing but the lacy blue underwear I'd seen her in once, her lips still pressed to my ear. "I bet you've wanted me like this for a long time..."

I blushed, my hands frozen in the air next to my shoulders, as if I were being held at gunpoint. "Rose!..."

She put her finger to my lips, brushing her lips against it. If only that damn finger weren't in my way... I thought. "I know you probably can't understand me..." she whispered against my lips, her hands drifted up, pulling mine onto her waist, kissing me ever so gently as I gripped at her hips, kissing her back. I felt wetness on my cheek. I paused and reached up.

It was a sticky liquid. I opened my eyes and saw crimson. I gasped, looking at Rose. Streams of blood going down her face, from her eyes, nose, mouth... Everything. "Don't trust Harlie."

I yelled and pushed at the nightmare, my arms flailing as I fell backwards in and out of darkness. I tried to sit up, still yelling incomprehensibly. It was still dark, and I could hear someone moving in the darkness. "Matt! Matt are you okay?"

The light snapped on, my eyes searing in the sudden illumination, but I held them open, turning frantically around the room, the faintest outline of my nightmare staring right back at me. I heard the person rush back to my bedside, hands on my shoulders. Thin fingers. Nails. Pretty, sweet smell. My head snapped up, the heart monitor beeping like I was having a heart attack. I pushed off her hand hard and slid to the far side of the medical table.

Her brown hair was tousled like she'd been sleeping, a look of hurt and shock on her face, her hands frozen where I'd pulled them from my shoulders. Her eyes were red, but there were no streams of blood... Just... Rose. I looked around again, my breathing slowing back down. "Rose... I-I..."

Her hands fell to her sides, trembling slightly. "I'm sorry... It was a-... Just a nightmare..."

I slid back to the middle of the bed and placed a hand on hers. "I really didn't mean to scare you, with all that yelling and..."

She turned her back to me, her arms under her chest again. There were sounds of her sniffling a little, wiling her face on her sleeve before she turned back to me again, a small smile on her face. "I just thought... You could use a friendly voice... Like... I dunno, it sounds silly."

I raised an eyebrow, smirking at her. "I was asleep, not in a coma."

Her smile fell, and mine faltered. "Fine. I'll let you go back to sleep, then." She turned, and was gone out the door before I could even register beyond the sadness of her voice. "Oh... Okay..."

I blinked a couple times, and then the light switch in the hall let out an echoing click. "Goodnight..."

She has got to be the most confusing person. Ever.


	4. Part One of Two: Repair

3

Buzzing echoed in my cabin, bouncing freely off the sheet metal paneling, adding a tinny ring to the alarm's sharp fluctuations. It was buzzing, even though it was barely sunrise. Even though the fluorescent lights overhead weren't on, and all I had were the thermal emergency lights to see by. My alarm was buzzing in high-pitched blasts, breaking every second or so, as if it was taking a breath, and then it would sound again, making my head and my inured limbs ache like someone was drumming their fingers over the bullet holes. It was going off, even though I was already awake.

[[**CHAPTER 4**]]

[[**Part One: Repair**]]

Even after a week, I was barely hobbling around my room; everything was my crutch: walls, end tables, my bed, Sam, whenever he stopped by. He tried to keep me filled in on how everything was going outside my little space, but it only made me feel even more useless, hearing how slow everything was going. I kept apologizing, thinking out loud how rough it must be on him, babysitting an injured friend. He said he didn't mind; he'd had to remind me, on more than one occasion, that I had, in fact been shot, and this warranted some downtime. I disagreed; my legs and back did not.

Rose hadn't stopped by yet. Probably didn't like seeing me like this. Maybe she was still pissed about whatever I'd done or said or… whatever. It didn't make sense to me, right then, but in truth, it didn't bug me much. The dream was still fresh on my mind, her face vivid and pasted right on the inside of my eyelids, as sharp as if I'd just woken up. That isn't an image you forget easily: a friend, covered in blood, begging you to help them, to do one thing for them…

But it was just a dream. Nothing to do with reality. Just an itch, buried in my subconscious. And only one thing can scratch an itch like that: torturous physical pain. I pulled myself to the edge of my bed, smacking my alarm clock to turn it off. The display flickered from the violent hit, and then dimmed, going back to sleep.

I pulled my pants on deliberately, wincing as I had to bend my legs, pausing once I got them fastened around my waist. The hefty brown belt I usually wore was hanging down at an angle, all the loops on the right side had worn through from use, but I kind of liked it this way. Made me actually feel like a pirate.

I pushed off my bed, the bolts squeaking quietly in their sockets from the force, and stumbled across my room, latching onto the door frame and pulling myself upright. I pushed the door open as quietly as possible, checking down the hall for Sam, before grabbing my jacket and spilling into the corridor.

Every step sent waves of dull pain up through my legs into my torso, making the hole in my side hurt as well. I slipped often, my legs shaking under me, my one good arm serving to both support and guide me along the wall. I could feel my palm getting sweaty, panting as I grabbed onto the nearest door frame, breaking for a moment as I looked back to see how much progress I'd made after three minutes of arduous work. I was two doors down, and only just at the end of the hall.

My head fell to my chest dejectedly. _How in the _hell _am I supposed to get anywhere like this?_ Sighing, I let my grip on the door loosen, and my legs gave way, dropping my onto my knees, and then falling face first onto the deck.

_Miiiiistake._

Everything exploded in stars of pain before my eyes, as both my legs and my shoulder flared up, lighting my whole body on fire. Curse words filled my ears, reverberating in the small upper corridor, but for all the pain, I really couldn't tell where they were coming from. However, someone else certainly could. Boots clanging on a ladder in the bridge, and then hands wrapped nimbly around my stomach, wrestling me back onto my feet, pulling my good arm around their shoulders. The haze of pain began to clear, and I could just barely smell flowers and a faint shadow of grease. "Th-thanks, Rose…"

There was a pause, and then she made a noise, letting me know she heard. I could feel her trying to turn me around, moving us slowly back towards my open door. "No!" I pulled at my arm, trying to wrest it from her grip. "No no no no no!" She pulled on my arm, trying to keep me in motion, until I latched my other hand onto a door handle. "Not going!"

"You're such a little kid."

"That may be, but I've been cooped up in that jail cell for a week now, and Matt wants out! Not going!" I tugged my arm out of her grip, there was another pause, and then she _giggled_. Giggled! Right in my face! The audacity of some people. "I really don't see what's so funny."

She put a hand over her face, waving the other one as if to say it was nothing, until she stopped shaking with what I could tell was laughter. "Where does Matt want to go, then?"

I turned on the spot, pointing toward the front of the trailer. "To the bridge!"

My legs started to tremble again, and Rose slipped herself under my arm once more, giggling quietly again. "You're going to hurt yourself getting down that ladder. How about we head back to the galley?"

I looked down at her smile, my eyes narrowing slightly, before saying, "Fine…" She grinned up at me. "Oh, come on, mister pouty."She poked me in the side, making me wince and pull away slightly. "I'll let you buy me that breakfast you promised me when I first came on."

I blinked, looking very confused until the memory came rushing back; my first meeting with Rose had been… awkward. To say the very least. A tinge of red slipped onto my cheeks, making her chuckle quietly. "What, are you seriously still embarrassed by that story? Honestly, I should be the embarrassed one."

I let out a huff of indignation, glancing away from her. "Well, excuse me for having some principles."

She giggled again, poking me in the side as we hobbled down the hall. "Oh, get over yourself! It's just sex, Matt. We should be able to talk about it."

"Yeah, except what I saw wasn't exactly what I'd call 'sex'. It looked more like-"

"You don't have to describe it!"

"And those noises you were making, it sounded like some kind of animal I've never heard before." I let out a quick shiver, before turning to her, grinning, despite the bright blush on both our cheeks. "Tell me again how that was fun?"

Her whole face turned red, and her smile faded a little, looking up at me, the fiery glint in her eye I was actually pretty accustomed to at this point. "Don't be an ass. Besides, when was the last time _you _even got close to a woman?"

I paused a moment, the thought slipping across my mind, before grinning brightly down at her. "You mean other than this time?"

She rolled her eyes, and her angry face faltered for a moment. "I wouldn't even count this time, you idiot."

"Oh?" I spun, pushing her up against the wall, using all the strength I had to keep myself upright so I could look her in the face. "How about now?" My bright green eyes met her brilliant blues, and she inhaled quickly. "Matt… Oh, Matt…"

I moved in slowly, slipping my left arm into the small of her back, the other hand up on her neck, as her hands slid down, wrapping around my heavy leather belt. There was a moment's pause, our faces inches from each other, before she leaned forward, kissing me deeply, her tongue brushing against my teeth, her hands sliding up my shirt and down my pants, tracing over the scars that marred my torso. Her hands were warm, even in the freezing cold. She pulled her lips away from mine, nipping gently at my earlobe. Her warm breath sent shivers down my neck, and her quiet whispers made every hair on my body stand up. "Matt? Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell are you doing? You almost tripped me!"

I blinked; we were still in the middle of the hall. "I… uh…" I stood dumbfounded for a moment, looking between Rose and the wall. "I was just…" I looked down at the floor paneling, the color rising in my cheeks again. "Daydreaming?"

"Well, cut it out. You break my hand, I'll break your neck."

"Yes'm."


End file.
